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drank Berry Romantic by DAVIDsTEA
16936 tasting notes

So… The Valentine’s Collection is out today!

I did the merch set up last night, and let me tell you I really like the look of all the new teaware! My favourite is the metallic, gradient perfect mugs though! I’ve been severely torn between buying the teal or the pink since I first saw them, though I’m leaning towards the teal because believe it or not I actually don’t own a teal mug yet!

Also, of course, a new collection means new teas! The Earl’s Valentine is back, and there are two new blends as well: this tea and White Chocolate Rose which is a black tea. I’ve been super excited to try them out, so of course I had to as soon as possible!

I had this one hot, and it was really lovely but honestly a little surprising? It’s supposed to be like a strawberry and cream oolong and I didn’t totally get that profile but I did thoroughly enjoy what I did taste.

The really noticeable cane sugar in the leaf had me a little cautious, but all in all I found this actually pretty mellow and light to medium bodied without a sense of over the top sweetness. In fact, it tasted very naturally sweet to me despite the fact I knew otherwise. The strawberry tasted a little more generic berry to me than distinctly strawberry, perhaps because the apple in the blend comes through more than I’d expected it to. Still, it is berry like and really pleasant overall. I thought it had a nice, delicate floral taste in the finish as well. More jasmine than rose, in my opinion – can’t speak towards how strong the gomphrena is/was because it’s not an ingredient I have much or really any familiarity with. The cream element was very absent for me.

So yeah, I actually REALLY enjoyed this profile although it doesn’t at all seem like what was intended here. I’m going to say that warrants a bit of further exploration with this blend before I make any overall decisions about it. First impression was good though.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
4 comments
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Michelle
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I’m really excited to try this! I may use my free FS tea for it.

VariaTEA
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I read the first paragraph and was shopping DAVIDs site. I think I have a problem :P

Roswell Strange
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I ended up buying the Fresh Mint Metallic Gradient Perfect Mug damn we need shorter product names and Sunshine Yellow Carry Mug today. I’m gonna need a larger teaware shelf soon. At this point I’m crossing my fingers that the Spring teaware is ugly so I don’t feel compelled to buy it.

Sophia
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I was on the site today and saw they had new teas and even though I just placed and order over the weekend I placed another one. I got berry romantic, the white chocolate rose, and raspberry cream pie! I also got the pink/gold heart mug and raspberry cream pie chapstick. So excited for these!! I have a major problem- I need help lmao

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Michelle
Delete

I’m really excited to try this! I may use my free FS tea for it.

VariaTEA
Delete

I read the first paragraph and was shopping DAVIDs site. I think I have a problem :P

Roswell Strange
Delete

I ended up buying the Fresh Mint Metallic Gradient Perfect Mug damn we need shorter product names and Sunshine Yellow Carry Mug today. I’m gonna need a larger teaware shelf soon. At this point I’m crossing my fingers that the Spring teaware is ugly so I don’t feel compelled to buy it.

Sophia
Delete

I was on the site today and saw they had new teas and even though I just placed and order over the weekend I placed another one. I got berry romantic, the white chocolate rose, and raspberry cream pie! I also got the pink/gold heart mug and raspberry cream pie chapstick. So excited for these!! I have a major problem- I need help lmao

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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